By setting garbage on fire, we may be harming the environment without even being aware of what we are doing
IN good old times, particularly in the pre-industrialization era, people used to set their garbage bins on fire in order to get rid of them completely. In those days garbage usually contained stuff made of paper, wood and glass, which at the time of burning wouldn’t prove ecologically harmful.
These days, different kinds of plastic, toxic metals and other synthetics constitute garbage material. And when you set it on fire, it releases a hazardous mixture of carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals) and other toxins. Even seemingly harmless items can emit toxic matter that causes serious environmental and health problems. That is why garbage burning and on-site disposal of household wastes is illegal in the Western countries.
In Pakistan, safe disposal of waste matter is a big problem. Over the past 50 years rapid growth in population, urbanization and industrialization have resulted in producing more waste matter than ever in the region. Approximately 6,000 tons of garbage is produced in Karachi every day. A substantial amount of the municipal budget is spent on its management with only one-third of it spent on garbage removal. According to reports, Lahore produces 3,600 tons of rubbish a day and its capacity to remove waste matter is around 2,300 tons. This means that 13,000 tons of garbage lies unattended in the open every day. Even the trash that we manage to lift and put away has no place where it could be dumped. We dump it in open spaces outside the city.
One of the usual practices of disposing unremoved garbage in different parts of urban areas is to pile it up and leave it to slow burning. This fills large residential areas with dense smoke and pungent smell consisting of all types of organic and inorganic carcinogenic material that can cause serious health problems. It has been indicated by several scientific studies that the level of environmental pollution in many cities of Pakistan exceeds the maximum limit. Open burning of mixed waste in Pakistani cities releases some of the most dangerous poisons known to mankind. The rise in health-related problems of the people who have to unwillingly inhale poisonous gases emitted through garbage burning is an evidence of the grave environmental situation that the country is faced with.
It is indeed sad that not even the educated people think about the dangerous gaseous substance that they inhale every day. This constant exposure causes irreversible damage not only to their own health but its effects are sure to prove hazardous for future generations too. We, as a society, are facing dire problems in terms of health. We have no real solid waste management plan at any level in the country and there is an urgent need for rectifying the situation.
In modern countries various methods for safe disposal of waste matter are used. Using incinerators is the most common one. Research has shown significant health and environmental impacts that can occur from burning garbage, which comprises plastic, wood, newspapers and junk mail. These things release pollutants into the environment including toxins such as acidic gases, heavy metals and dioxins. These substances become part of our environment and accumulate in food items that we eat. Open dumping and burning of mixed waste threatens all life forms.
Scientific research and health studies done on the topic of mortality of people who work at incinerator plants and the communities which live around them in countries including Germany, Sweden and the UK have shown a significant rise in breathing difficulties, high incidents of rare cancers like sarcomas of the liver, brain tumours, childhood cancers, neurological problems, endocrine and hormonal disruption and effects on reproductive health. Ash and other particles produced during the open burning of waste can irritate the eyes and throat, damage the lungs, cause bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer and restrict vision. It can seriously affect people with asthma as well.
During a research it was found that the main reason for human exposure to each pollutant was inhaling or ingestion. Many pollutants produced by open air burning of garbage were classified as carcinogenic.
The most common toxins produced by the open burning of waste matter are the organic carcinogens and harmful vapours of metals.
Toxins generated by burning organic waste organic carcinogens include substances which are common byproducts of the petrochemical industry and are widely used in cosmetics, cleaning compounds and other goods. Three groups of organic substances need to be taken into consideration here: dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Among these, one of the most dangerous dioxin releasers is the PVC. The PVC or polyvinyl chloride, is a common form of plastic. It is recycled and is used in bottling cosmetics, syringes, drugs and even food items. Plastic material is generally considered to be quite inert until it catches fire. Although many plastics do not catch fire easily, once ignited most tend to burn poorly, generating considerable smoke until high temperatures are attained. When the PVC burns, its major combustion products include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen chloride. However, numerous other chemicals may be generated depending on the conditions of burning and the additives that are present in almost all plastics. Incomplete combustion of the PVC can produce dioxins and furans, particularly where its burnt over a low temperature with insufficient oxygen. Dioxin is a term used for three chemical groups: true dioxins, furans, and polychlorinat biphenyls (PCBs).
A dangerous form of dioxin, 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-dioxin is often called “the most lethal man-made poison”. Its toxicity is second only to radioactive waste; just three ounces would be enough to kill one million people.
Dioxin contamination at the Niagara Falls forced hundreds of families to abandon their homes. Given off in large quantities by burning plastics and paper, dioxin accumulates in the soil. Ground level concentrations of dioxin resulting from burning garbage are 7,000 times the amount compared to garbage burnt in a municipal incinerator.
Dioxins and furans form complex bonds with other heavy metals and benzene-based compounds to create variable chemical cocktails. The effects of these combinations include mutations and genetic defects as these chemicals are known to be congeners and binders, including our own DNA.
Livestock feeding on mixed waste lying in dumps and garbage heaps have shown an alarming rise in dioxin levels of milk and butter produced by farm animals. Some studies have shown an increased risk of lung, skin, gut and bladder cancers.
Through the open burning of waste, harmful metals are converted into vapours and get into the atmosphere, becoming potential health risk for the people. Almost all heavy metals used in manufacturing consumer goods live only half the lives than what they’re supposed to. Symptoms of toxic metal poisoning include serious skin diseases like gangrene and skin cancer. In this regard, some metals worth giving special attention are:
MERCURY: One of the most well-known poisons known in our chemical industry, mercury is commonly used in tube lights and other light fixtures, including car lamps. It is also used in thermometers and dental amalgams. Hospital waste usually contains enough mercury to be considered dangerous. Mercury is a well-known poison, and can effect the central nervous system (CNS) and can cause cardiovascular and kidney damage, visual impairment and multiple sclerosis.
CADMIUM: It is commonly used in batteries and paints, along with nickel. It can effect developing fetuses and the CNS. Exposure to high levels of cadmium has been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer and a number of non-carcinogenic effects.
NICKEL: It is usually used in paints and batteries. It sensitizes allergies, causes eye and skin irritation apart from irreparable liver and kidney damage. Exposures to nickel can cause bad effects in lungs and kidneys. The major concern is the cancer-causing potential of inorganic nickel, and it is not possible to exclude a small increase in cancer risk resulting from low level exposure to inorganic nickel compounds.
LEAD & ARSENIC: Used popularly in all petro-fuels, paints, batteries, lead along with arsenic can cause irreversible damage to the brain, and can have negative effects on intelligence and growth of children.
CHROMIUM: The major health effects reported to occur at high levels of exposure to the most toxic group of chromium compounds (hexavalent chromium) include damage to the inner tissues of the nose, inflammation of the skin and lung cancer.
ALUMINIUM: Used in almost all packaging processes, excessive aluminium build up leads to the breakdown of brain cells and degeneration.
While waste matter cannot be eliminated, we can reduce its environmental impact by making a more safe and sustainable use of garbage.
By setting garbage on fire, we may be harming the environment without even being aware of what we are doing 
